Ever since Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s controversial ‘speak Hindi instead of English’ remark made headlines in the country, many prominent southern political parties, including BJP ally AIADMK have opposed it. The latest to oppose the comment is the Oscar-winning music director A R Rahman.
The music maestro shared a picture of ‘Thamizhanangu’, (Tamil Angel) on his Twitter account.
Thamizhanangu or “Goddess Tamil,” is a word from Tamil Thai Vazhthu, or the Tamil national anthem. It was penned by Manonmaniam Sundaram Pillai and composed by MS Viswanathan.
The picture is of a woman wearing a white saree and with her hair open, dancing while holding a spear.
The line below the picture is from a Tamil poem ‘Thamizhukkum Amudhendru Per’ (Tamil is also known as Elixir) written by Paavendhar Bharathisan. It translates into “Our beloved Tamil is the root that holds together our existence.”
AR Rahman is famously known for his preference for speaking in Tamil. In fact, when he won his two Oscars for Slumdog Millionaire he expressed his gratitude to God in his native language saying, “Ellapughazum Iraivanukue” (All praise goes to God).
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